We are now two weeks into summer and my girls needed a change of scenery. Honestly, I did too! We were invited to check out all of the fun that the Anatole has this summer and we were happy to head into Dallas for a fun staycation. We knew it would be packed full of fun, as we stayed there at Christmas as well. (See my post about that here!) We were challenged to #SeeDallasStayAnatole!
We got their Friday afternoon and checked in! The corner connected rooms are perfect for our family of five! The kids can enjoy their space and we can have ours as well! When booking, I suggest you ask for joining rooms. (in a corner!) Check out this fun Instagram video of them exploring the room!
The kids were very excited about heading to the pool, but we had them wait! We enjoyed a quick trip to Hard Rock Cafe (which is not far from the Anatole!)
After returning, we quickly put on our swim suits and headed out! The pool is conveniently located across the courtyard from the Tower. The walk over was beautiful and we stopped for a few photo ops along the way! 
Once we got to the pool, we found a few chairs to relax in while the kids got on their googles. They jumped right in and were very excited to enjoy the nice warm water. I quickly noticed a swim up bar. How awesome is that? Love the resort look of the pool. On Friday nights, the Anatole plays a movie at their Dive in Movie event! We loved swimming and watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 playing nearby on a big screen. The kids were all given popcorn to enjoy while watching the movie. 
We had some pool fun… races and such! The girls watched the movie, enjoyed popcorn and the cool summer breeze.
Fun in the pool at @hiltonanatole #SeeDallasStayAnatole
A video posted by MyCRAZYSavings (@courtneysolstad) on
When the movie was over, we went back to the room to get all snuggled in for the night. We, of course, enjoyed the Dallas skyline from the 19th floor. It was beautiful. We could see everything including Reunion Tower. We missed the sunset but knew to plan better for the following night! All worn out from swimming, we snuggled into our beds! (The girls slept in one room, and Steve and I in the other! This was really nice as we could watch our TV shows while they watched theirs!)
On Saturday, we got up and went to the VSpa at the Anatole were we were the girls were treated to a mani while I got a pedi! It was so nice to sit back and relax and get pretty toes! We got the express service. It’s quick (less then 30 minutes) and cheap as well (less then $30!).
With toes ready to see the sun, we set off for the Perot museum. My girls LOVE this museum. I’ll be doing a separate post on it soon. We could have spent the WHOLE day there! We enjoyed the special Animals exhibit that is going on right now. It was very educational. After the Perot museum, we walked a few blocks over to Klyde Warren Park and enjoyed lunch from the food trucks. My kids loved eating from the food trucks in New York when we went a few summers ago, so this was a fun treat for them. Two ordered pizza and one ordered fish. After enjoying lunch, it started to sprinkle, so we headed back to the hotel. Once back inside the hotel, we wandered around for a bit checking out the fun art and scenery.
We had tickets to the 2PM Geppetto’s Theater & Workshop and my girls were really excited. We saw the show at Christmas and this one was different. They LOVE watching these shows! As we walked in, I noticed that they had a set up for a birthday party. I had NO idea that they did b-day parties there! Such a fun creative place for an indoor party in the hot summer heat! The show was awesome and did not disappoint. The girls enjoyed hearing that the Little Mermaid and Wizard of Oz are coming soon. They are already begging to come back! (Sign up on their mailing list to see what is up and coming!)
The girls wanted to swim, but I was less excited about that because of the rain. We passed. Steve and I rested for a bit…oh okay… he rested while I played on the internet! The girls watched TV and played for a bit. It’s amazing the fun that can come from a beach ball in a hotel room! It’s light weight and nothing was in harm of getting broken. They played keep away!
Around 6, we decided to venture around the property some more, this time looking for food. We found several options and landed ourselves in the Media Grill + Bar. The girls loved the kid options and we grazed on some fantastic chips/salsa while we browsed the menu. I decided on the asian wraps while my hubby enjoyed the salmon. He said it was some of the best he has ever had. He eats a lot of salmon, so that was really saying something! The service was quick and before we knew it, we were enjoying dessert and wobbling back to our room.
The timing was perfect as the sun was a few minutes out from setting. We drew the curtains and sat and watched it drop. It was stunning from the 19th floor! Funny that it was rainy all day and then a few minutes before sunset, the sun came out to give us a beautiful memory.
We turned on the TV again and enjoyed relaxing in our rooms. The kids watched Full House while we watched a moving/renovation show. This is EXACTLY what vacations are all about. Relaxing and having fun! We called it an early night and prayed all would sleep in the next morning.
They didn’t sleep in, but that was okay. We journied out for breakfast and found a great shop with croissants, muffins, fruit, yogurt and more. They were super quick and we all enjoyed full tummies. We checkout and headed home. I love stay-cations. They are a great way to explore new parts of the state and don’t require hours of travel. Have I mentioned that I hate car rides?
If you are looking to book a fun, resort style -, call the Anatole. Your kids will love it, you will love the memories you can make in such a fun place! Summer at the Anatole lasts until Sept. 2nd!
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